Here you will find some glimpses into our everyday life...until our Savior calls us home.
"...in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:52
My brother and sister-in-law are in the process of seeking to adopt a little boy! We overjoyed and full of anticipation. :) They are selling Entertainment Books to help raise money for the adoption. Here is the link for any of you who would like to purchase a book online. You get free shipping if you use this option. Books are available in editions all over the US.
(You will need to scroll all the way to the bottom of this page to stop the regular playlist first)
My soul finds rest in God alone, My Rock and my salvation, A fortress strong against my foes, And I will not be shaken. Though lips may bless and hearts may curse, And lies like arrows pierce me, I’ll fix my heart on righteousness, I’ll look to Him who hears me.
O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward; Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.
Find rest, my soul, in God alone Amid the world’s temptations; When evil seeks to take a hold I’ll cling to my salvation. Though riches come and riches go, Don’t set your heart upon them; The fields of hope in which I sow Are harvested in heaven.
I’ll set my gaze on God alone, And trust in Him completely; With every day pour out my soul, And He will prove His mercy. Though life is but a fleeting breath, A sigh too brief to measure, My King has crushed the curse of death And I am His forever.
O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah, O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah, O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah! hallelujah!
Eight years ago today, my little brother, Daniel, entered into eternity. Even at the young age of 13, he understood his need for a Savior and had trusted joyfully in Jesus who is the only way to the Father. "Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). He now sees clearly what we see still dimly.(1 Corinthians 13:12) He is now with the Father as I long to be. What a joy it is to remember on this day, the riches of mercy we have in Christ Jesus...the comfort God has given us in our sorrows...the joy he has given us amidst the pain of loss...the increased longing he has given us for our true home...the increased desire to live our remaining days for what truly matters. In celebration of this day (even though it was a sad one for us, it was a joyous one for Daniel), I thought I'd post some of Spurgeon's words unpacking Daniel's favorite verse...
"We know that all things work together for good to them that love God." --Romans 8:28 Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that God sits in the stern-sheets of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always on the world's tiller, and that wherever providence may drift, Jehovah steers it. That re-assuring knowledge prepares him for everything. He looks over the raging waters and sees the spirit of Jesus treading the billows, and he hears a voice saying, "It is I, be not afraid." He knows too that God is always wise, and, knowing this, he is confident that there can be no accidents, no mistakes; that nothing can occur which ought not to arise. He can say, "If I should lose all I have, it is better that I should lose than have, if God so wills: the worst calamity is the wisest and the kindest thing that could befall to me if God ordains it." "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God." The Christian does not merely hold this as a theory, but he knows it as a matter of fact. Everything has worked for good as yet; the poisonous drugs mixed in fit proportions have worked the cure; the sharp cuts of the lancet have cleansed out the proud flesh and facilitated the healing. Every event as yet has worked out the most divinely blessed results; and so, believing that God rules all, that He governs wisely, that He brings good out of evil, the believer's heart is assured, and he is enabled calmly to meet each trial as it comes. The believer can in the spirit of true resignation pray, "Send me what thou wilt, my God, so long as it comes from Thee; never came there an ill portion from Thy table to any of Thy children." (Spurgeon, Morning & Evening, August 5th)
"I am still in the land of the dying; I shall be in the land of the living soon." — John Newton (his last words)
Here are some great excerpts from John Piper's book, Finally Alive:
"Even if you have sinned, he has never sinned. Even if you have failed to love as you ought, he has never failed to love as he ought. And this perfect one stands before God and advocates for you--not against you, but for you. Precisely because you have failed. 'But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate…the righteous one.' (1 John 2:1)" (p. 140)
"God sees me in Christ. And I don't despair because of my failure. I am not paralyzed with hopelessness. I confess my failure to love (1 John 1:9). I embrace the forgiveness he bought. I take my stand on the wrath-removing propitiation he provided (1 John 2:2). And I reassure my heart (1 John 3:19) that God sees me through my Advocate--my perfect Advocate." (p. 141)
"John's warning of hypocrisy calls us back from the precipice of presumption. John's promise of an Advocate calls us back from the precipice of despair." (p. 150)
“God knows that in ourselves we are not up to the task he calls us to, but he never makes a false assignment… He never calls us to what we cannot accomplish in him, but he always calls us to what we could never accomplish without him.” - Paul David Tripp (Broken-Down House, p. 141)
